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FRED CARTER WILLIAMS, FAIA (1913-2000)

Williams was born in Fork NC and grew up in Greensboro NC and worked at the O. Henry Hotel as a teen. He graduated in 1935 with a degree in Architectural Engineering from NC State and in 1939 with a degree in Architectural Design from the University of Illinois. From 1939 to 1941 he was an assistant professor at the NCSU Department of Architecture. In the Army during WWII, he taught at West Point from 1941-1946. He did post-graduate work at Columbia from 1944-1945. In 1954, the NCSU School of Design's Matsumoto Wing of Brooks Hall, home of the NCSU School of Design, was designed by George Matsumoto with Carter Williams as the Architect of Record. Partner Macon Smith was heavily involved along with Carter's brother Turner Williams.

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Williams designed the firm's 1962 office at 2806 Hillsborough Street, in Raleigh, above and more than 600 projects, including the NC Archives and Library in Raleigh, buildings at East Carolina University, the renovation of the Governor's Mansion, and Raleigh's City Hall Complex. He also played clarinet and wrote a novel. His firm was sold to Bartholomew Associates in 1994. Each year AIA North Carolina awards the F. Carter Williams Gold Medal, established by his family, to an individual in recognition of a distinguished career or extraordinary accomplishments as an architect.


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1941 - The F. Carter Williams House, 809 Gardner Street, Raleigh NC. His first office was in the basement, which also contained a photo studio. He rented it out during WWII. Williams' partner Macon Smith lived in the basement for 18 months in the late 1940s. Turner Williams lived there for a time as well. Sold in 1959 to Joe and Mildred Elliott. Sold in 1975 to Johnny Randolph Johnson. Sold in 1977 to James and Vella Clark who still owned it as of 2021. Photos by Leilani Carter.


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1949 - The Nell Hirschberg and Geraldine S. Cate House, 1500 Park Drive, Raleigh NC. Sold in 1997 to Robert Seth and Joyce Angel Crossno. Sold in 2004 to Charlotte L. Tart.


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1949 - The Donald S. and Ann Hooper Kimrey House, 2439 West Lake Drive, Raleigh NC. Sold in 1968 to architect George Smart and Ann Seltman Smart. Sold in 2003 to Clifton L. Benson III. Destroyed and a new house built in 2005.


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1950 - The Robert (Mayne) and Frances Albright Residence, 3078 Granville Drive, Raleigh NC. Drawing by Macon Smith. Albright was a candidate for North Carolina Governor in 1948. For years he was the attorney for AIA North Carolina for which he was granted honorary membership in the national AIA. He sold the house in 1991 to trustee James Seay who sold it to William and Larose Spooner the same day. Later that day, they sold it to John Edgar Weems. Damaged in 1996 by Hurricane Fran. Sold in 1997 to architect Walter G. Davis. Was a rental for many years. Davis started extensive renovations on the house in 2016, depicted in above photos. Renovations included an addition of about 650 sf. Sold in 2021 to Janet Lynn Kemmerer.


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1950 - The Green House, Raleigh NC. Status unknown.


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1951 - The W. Carey Parker and Evelyn Parker House, 2106 Banbury Road, Raleigh NC. Turner Williams was the primary architect and Macon Smith did the checking. Sold in 2006 to Stephen Kicklighter and William Madison. Originally 2400 square feet. Subsequent renovations by architect Perry Cox. Winner of the 2007 Sir Walter Raleigh Preservation award. Renovations include a gourmet kitchen, granite and travertine counters, a new rose garden and heated salt water pool, and of course more square footage. The house is now 4310 square feet. Sold in 2008 to Rebecca Brooks Bell and Jesse Lipson, who built an additional house next door. Photos by James West.


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1951 - The Mortimer and Mildred Ellisberg House, 3015 Eton Road, Raleigh NC. Although Carter Williams was the architect of record, according to Macon Smith, Turner Williams did the design. Ellisberg ran a clothing store downtown which later moved to Cameron Village. Sold in 1995 to Richard Payne. Sold in 2020 to Eric and Jill Wolford.


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1952 - The Edwin McNeill and Wilda Poteat House, 2802 Exeter Circle, Raleigh NC. Commissioned 1949. Sold in 1958 to Baker Lee and Margaret W. Sears. Sold in 1961 to Adele B. and William Dunn Jr. Sold in 1981 to Alan H. and Harriet Dill Peterson. Deeded in 1989 to Alan H. and Winifred K. Peterson. A sunroom and deck added in 1989. Sold in 1997 to Michael C. White and Margaret Louise Sullivan. Renovations including a second level addition done in 2000. Sold in 2000 to John A. and Ashley E. Toler. Sold in 2006 to Mary Prevost and Donald E. Blue.


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1952 - The H. B. and Katie Dickson House, 2906 Grant Avenue, Raleigh NC. Traditional design. Commissioned 1948. B/W photos from their daughter, Beverly Dail Luciani. Sold in 1993 to J. Herbert Joyner. Sold in 1993 to James A. Campbell and Donald W. Langdon. Sold in 1994 to Joseph S. Arrowood. Sold in 1994 to Shawn M. Rayburn. Sold in 1999 to David and Dargan Mould.


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1952 - The Martin and Catherine Green House, 1724 Piccadilly Lane, Raleigh NC. Commissioned 1950. Deeded to Catherine Green. Sold in 1995 to her son and his wife, Martin Green Jr. and Karin B. Green.


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1952 - The Guy H. and Merle Ferrell Branaman Jr. House, 915 Williamson Drive, Raleigh NC. Traditional exterior design, but has some modern interior features. Sold in 1999 to Carl David Johnson Jr.


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1952 - The Elizabeth P. and Thomas N. Brafford Jr. House, 1412 Hathaway Road, Raleigh NC. Patio added in 1962. Sold in 1976 to Kathe Stakeman and James Roy Garrison Jr. Sold in 1979 to Charles L. and Patricia Y. Wheeler. Still owned by Patricia as of 2022.


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1952 - The Joseph and Ruth Evelyn Fleishman Leder House, 413 Butler Drive, Clinton NC. Sold in 2000 to Rick D. and Cynthia K. Fowler.


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1954 - The William L. and Janie C. Medlin House, 904 West 2nd Street, Roanoke Rapids NC. Sold in 1976 to Fred L. and Beatrice S. Liverman. Sold in 2005 to Ralph P. and Renate B. Ingram. Bottom photo by Lee Hansley.


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1955 - The Elmo and Alice Williams House, 714 Lake Boone Trail, Raleigh NC. Sold in 1967 to architect Gilbert Slack who worked for Terry Waugh and Leif Valand before starting his own practice in 1968. 2017 before photos by Leilani Carter and George Smart. Sold in 2018 to builder Marshall Dunlap who did a restoration. Sold in 2020 to Joseph Wescott and Kate Nation.


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1955 - The Barrie S. and Judith R. Davis House, 506 North Wakefield Street, Zebulon NC. Sold in 1977 to Herman And Phyllis Hammock. Sold in 1980 to Rickey and Sheryl Rogers. Sold two weeks later to Sheryl E. Davis. Sold in 2000 to Robert J. Golder. Sold in 2001 to Elizabeth Price and Amy Thompson. Sold in 2007 to Terry and Lavon Barrett. Photos by Terry Barrett.


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1955 - The George and Pota V. Vallas Residence, 5008 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh NC. The Vallas family ran National Art Interiors on Glenwood Avenue for decades. The original built-in cabinets and drawers (example above) are in exceptional condition. The Vallas' invested well, buying dozens of surrounding acres north of Crabtree Valley, an area that would become valuable in the 1970s. Their generous gift of land established the Greek Orthodox Church next door. According to Macon Smith, an architect who worked on this house, Alvis George did most of the design. Deeded in 2019 to the Greek Orthodox Church. Photos by George Smart.


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1955 - The Loren and Carolyn Withers House, 2741 Dogwood Road, Durham NC. Sold in 2001 to Joseph and Patricia Workman. Sold in 2005 to John H. and Marilyn C. Shuler. Sold in 2013 to Kristin E. Meade.


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1955 - The Deems H. and Gwendolyn B. Clifton House, 419 Butler Drive, Clinton NC. Sold in 1975 to Jesse C. and Edith C. Marshburn. Sold in 2003 to Sharon Thompson Clerc. Sold later in 2003 to Thomas S. and Sue A. Shoopman. Sold in 2012 to Larry A. and Emily Avery. Sold in 2015 to Jason Dennis Clark. Sold in 2016 to Kevin and Judith Kunst. Sold in 2018 to Robert Hayes and Morgan Daughtery Shaw.


1956 - The Michael and Salve K. Bolus House, 2220 Wheeler Road, Raleigh NC. As of 2022, Salve Bolus Lewis still owns the home with Edward K. Lewis.


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1957 - The Annie Catherine Wyatt and Karl G. Hudson Jr. House, 2416 White Oak Road, Raleigh NC. Deeded in 2003 to Karl G. Hudson III. A pool was added and the patio enlarged in 2010.


1959 - The Wayne C. and Rachel M. Coats House, 101 South Wilma Street, Angier NC. Commissioned 1958. Deeded in 2002 to Morris W. Coats. Sold in 2013 to Deborah K. Altman. Sold in 2018 to James J. and G. Jean Davies. Sold in 2021 to Lisa Jo Lambert.


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1959 - The Carter Williams House, aka Blue Haven, 6612 Rest Haven Drive, Raleigh NC. The house was nicknamed for its distinctive Carolina blue stone. Dick Bell was the landscape architect. According to Williams' granddaughter, Kathryn, the day they moved out, Carter Williams died. Sold to Samuel and Lynne Harris. Sold in 2005 to Jill Maurer who did an extensive restoration. Featured in Metro Magazine, December 2010. 2018 Video. Sold in 2020 to Blue Haven Trust, Richard and Nancy Cavallaro. B/W photos by Lewis Watson; color photos by Jill Maurer.


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1960 - The Garland Dewey and Elma Johnson Arndt House, 1428 Canterbury Road, Raleigh NC. 4163 square feet. Sold in 1988 to Joy L. and Henry Gerard Hartzog III. The kitchen and master bath were redesigned and garage added in 2000 by Karl Gaskins. Sold in 2010 to Cynthia Ball and Dave Aspnes. Restoration in 2011 designed by architect Russ Stephenson, built by the Splinter Group. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and as a Raleigh Historic Landmark.


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1960 - The L. Dow and Rhea Pender Jr. House, 6616 Rest Haven Drive, Raleigh NC. Sold in 1962 to John S. Rhodes. Secluded on 6.1 acres. Sold in 1979 to his son John Flint Rhodes and wife Ruth. There was a fire in 1995 in the bedroom wing. Architect Karl Gaskins designed the subsequent restoration as well as a kitchen renovation. Sold in 2013 to GMAKS LLC, George and Mary Ann Klein. Photos by George Smart.


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1960 - The James F. and Helen G. Kelly House, 3207 Darien Drive, Raleigh NC. Deeded in 2013 to Mark C. and David P. Kelly. Deeded in 2018 to Mark C. Kelly.


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1964 - The Jones House, Raleigh or possibly Southern Pines NC. Status unknown. Heavy duty floors. Client was a musician. Project architect Gene Jones.


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1966 - The James M. and Florence Chan Poyner Vacation House, 120 Lake Dornoch Drive, Pinehurst NC. Sold in 1994 to Capital Land Investment Company. Sold in 2000 to Seth W. Hancock.


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1967 - The Drewry James and Elma Joyner Jones House, 405 Ramblewood Drive, Raleigh NC. Sold in 2003 to Irene Watkins and James F. MacGill Jr. Sold in 2012 to Kevin Wade and Stacey Burns Jennings. Renovated and addition built in 2018.


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1968 - The William and Mary Oviatt House, 511 Lakestone Drive, Raleigh NC. Addition designed by Macon Smith. Sold in 1986 to Karl G. and Donna G. Hudson. Deeded in 1992 to Donna Hudson. Sold in 2008 to Donna Crowder.


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1971 - The Walter B. and Julia Stokes Elsee House, 911 Country Club Road, Smithfield NC. Still owners as of 2022.


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1990 - The Helen Frances Yeargan House, 106 King William Road, Raleigh NC. Sold in 1992 to Michael N. and Rebecca W. Jessup. Sold in 2004 to the Raleigh Country Club. Destroyed in 2005.


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1991 - The Rufus H. II and Betty Louise S. Stark Addition, 3600 Carolyn Drive, Raleigh NC. Original house built in 1963. Sunroom added in 1991. Project architect Gene Jones. Sold in 2000 to Doris E. Becoat.


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1992 - The Mabel (Molly) Fetterman Held Addition, 112 Reynard Path, Clinton NC. Original house built in 1981.


Sources include: Jill Maurer; Peter Rumsey; Gene Jones; partner Macon Smith; Perry Cox; AIANC; Ruth Rhodes; Dick Rice; and daughter Carol Williams Bilbro.